1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a generator and rechargeable battery system and more particularly to a generator and rechargeable battery system for use on a ski with an electrically operable load.
2. Discussion of the Background
The environment of the snow skier necessarily involves conditions of low temperature and is removed from the energy-derived comforts of the home. As a consequence, staying warm in such an environment is typically difficult and is at times nearly impossible. In particular, the skier's feet and toes are often exposed to extreme cold which can result in discomfort and even frostbite. Therefore, it can be seen that a ski equipped with a current generating mechanism could provide the skier with some of the heretofore missed comforts of home.
The prior art discloses heated boots and shoes which use a battery to power the heating elements involved. Examples of such devices are Santroch, U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,093, Balbinot, U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,359, Vaccari, U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,877, and Giese, U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,496. Difficulties arise with battery powered boots in that the heating elements use much power and the batteries are soon drained of electrical energy. As the batteries of the heating boots become drained of energy through use, the individual user is left unprotected from the cold. Therefore, a need for a recharging power source is apparent. With a recharging power source a skier would be able to remain comfortable in a frigid environment for an indefinite and extended amount of time.
Sartor, European Patent Office Publication No. 0207302A2, has proposed a ski manufactured with numerous solar cells which can generate electric current for use on an electrical load and which can store the current by means of a battery. However, Sartor's invention has a number of disadvantages. Since the solar cells are implanted into the surface of the ski at the time of manufacture, the invention is not adaptable to the conventional ski already in use. Furthermore, the solar cells cannot operate in the dark or in conditions of low light. Therefore, the use of the invention is optimized on clear, sunny days. Yet it is often on cold and overcast days that a skier is most in need of an energy source. Still another drawback of the solar cell ski is cost. The expensive nature of such a device would preclude it being used by a large number of skiers.
Solar celled ski boots have recently been introduced, Sartor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,360; however, little power can be generated through the solar cell and while negating the need for batteries, the expensive devices become worthless in low light conditions.
Small portable battery generator systems have a long history in pedal powered vehicles such as bicycles. The power provided by the legs of the bike rider is converted by the generator to electrical energy which typically is used to power a light mounted onto the bike's frame. Generator and rechargeable battery systems with their concomitant electronic circuitry are disclosed in Baker, U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,307, and Ryan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,656.
However, to date, no battery generator system has been devised that would utilize the kinetic an potential energy of a skier for purposes of generating an electrical current. The present invention utilizes the kinetic and potential energies of a skier by converting this energy by means of a rotating member which turns a drive shaft attached to a generator which is easily affixed to the ski. The electrical energy created can be used to power the heating elements in an electrically heated ski boot, to illuminate lighting fixtures attached to the ski, to power electrical appliances such as radios and tape players, and to recharge batteries which alternatively can be used to power the aforementioned electrical devices.